Test Results

Our load tests utilize a couple of FAST ATE active load testers and a variety of other equipment such as an oscilloscope, power conditioner, temperature probe and a power consumption meter. You can read more about our standard testing approach here.

The tests performed are based around six conceivable setups that are out there and progressively load down the PSU up to the power supply's limits or 1000W, whichever comes first. Since our test equipment's limits are higher than that of the Fractal Design Integra R2 750W power supply, we can test it to the maximum.

The above tests represent typical loads that we have measured from various systems and are meant to give a rough idea of where your computer might fall in line with our tests. Please keep in mind that each system is different and actual loads can vary greatly even with similar hardware.

Let's start by taking a look at the voltages to see how well this unit did during testing. Starting with the 12V1 rail, we see 2% regulation from start to finish with a total drop of .25V. 12V2 was within 2% regulation from start to finish and also had a total drop of .20V. The 5V rail managed to stay within 2% of specification as well with a total drop of .11V from start to finish. Moving towards the 3.3V rail, we see that regulation was once again within 3% of specification with a total voltage drop of .10V.

DC Output quality for the Integra R2 750 was good and well within specification. During Test 1, we saw 18mV of noise on our scope. When we increased the loads in Test 3, the ripple climbed to 35mV at a little under half load. During Test 5 under a load of 750W, the oscilloscope showed a maximum of 52mv on noise on the 12Vrail.

The Fractal Design Integra R2 750W power supply is rated for 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency. This means that the power supply must perform at 82%/85%/82% efficiency at 20%/50%/100% loads respectively. As you can see, Integra R2 750W passed on our bench, and wasn't close to failing at any point.

Final Thoughts

It is without a doubt that Fractal Design intends for the Integra R2 to be utilized for those seeking a budget unit in a mid-range computer. In that essence, they have succeeded very well. The Integra R2 750W power supply is certainly without some of the frills that we have come to expect out of the higher end units such as modular cabling and Over Temperature Protection, but by doing so they manage to keep the cost down significantly.

Keeping the cost down isn't always that hard to do. Many simply cut the quality of their product and the performance of the unit readily reflects those decisions. This isn't the case with the Integra R2. There have been a few cuts to quality along the way, but they are so minor that they will never be known. Sure, the voltage regulation and DC output quality aren't the most superb on the market, but they are very well within specifications and we have seen many other "quality" units that have performed on the same level that the Integra R2 has shown itself to be capable of. We're fairly confident that it is simply the choice in Taiwanese capacitors that are keeping the unit from providing some better numbers.

It is probably the same choice that provides the reasoning behind the three year warranty, which is one of the few things that we really have to complain about. It seems to go hand in hand that every time we find Taiwanese capacitors that we also find a shorter than average warranty for the unit and it is not a coincidence.

Let's not forget about the fan mounts for the Integra R2. It is about time someone looked at mounting the fans via rubber mounts and it is for this alone that we are going to give the Integra R2 a features award. There are other power supplies in Fractal Design's lineup and we look forward to taking a look at them in hopes that we can find even more creative ideas being implemented.

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